Alfred s



(No Model.)

A. S. HENN 8v G. H. JENNINGS.

POOL RACK.

No. 255,625. Q f/ Patented Man-28,1882.

Y Mij/5v5? MV1/z ra, 7.5%1/

N. PETERS. PtwwLimunpmr. vla-hingen. D. (L

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

ALFRED S. HENN AND GEORGE H. JENNINGS, OF NEW HAVEN, CONN.

POOL-RAC K.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 255,625, dated March 28, 1882.

Application tiled February l, 1882.

To all lwhom t may concern Be it ltnown that we, ALFRED S. HENN and GEORGE H. JENNINGS, of New Haven, in the county ofNew Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Pool- Racks; and we do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and eXactdescription of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in

Figure 1, a front view 5 Fig. 2, a longitudinal sectional view; Fig. 3, a partial transverse section; Fig. et, a vertical section, showing the stop to arrest the balls at the end ofthe pockets.

This invention relates to an improvement in the receiver usually' hung upon the wall of a room where the game of pool is played, to rcceive the balls, and thereby record the count, commonly called pool-raclis.7 This game is usually played by several persons, and the gameis ot` short duration. Hence in pool-rooms where there are numerous tables it is necessary that some person in charge shall keep a watch over the game in crder to record the number of games and to see that no deception is practiced by the players, the pay i'or the use ofthe table being at a certain price per game. In the usual construction the ballsmay beintroduced or removed therefrom at pleasure and returned to the table in order to prolong the game.

The object of this invention is to construct the rack to receive the balls and retain them, so that they cannot he removed without mal;- ingaregistration of such removal; and it consists in a rack to receive the balls arranged in a case, and so as to be moved longitudinally therein, with apertures for the introduction of the halls to their respect-ive channels in lthe rack, and arranged so that after the balls have once entered their channels they cannot he removed except by longitudinal movement of the rack, and also in combining with such a rack aregistering mechanism which will record the number ot' times the rack is thus moved to take the balls therefrom, and as more fully hereinafter described.

The rack consists of several bars, A B O, and may be of substantiallyY the usual form. They (No model.)

are arranged in a case, D, provided with a front, E, which by preference is hinged to the case, and should be open, so as to expose the balls as they lie in their channels, the openings F in the door being narrower than the diameter ofthe balls. At one end of the case several openings, l 2 3, are made, each corresponding to one of the channels, and of suicient diameter to receive the balls. Hence, when a hall is placed through either of the openings-say 2-it passes directly into the channel, the bars being inclined for that purpose, as in the usual construction of rack.

A stop is provided to arrest the progress ot' the balls when they shall have arrived at the end ofthe exposed part of the channel. This stop consists ot' a vertical bar, a, arranged in the case, with a spring, b, at the bottom, the tendency of which is to force the har upward. From the bar an arm, d, extends 4forward and is turned up through a slot, c, in the bars ot' the rack, as seen in Fig. 4, so as to stand in the path ofthe balls and arrest them, as seen in Fig. 2, when they shall have arrived near the end ot' the opening in the front. A stop is also provided to prevent the balls from being moved back through the channel to the mouth through which they are inserted. These stops consist of several tongues, f, hinged upon the under side ot' the bars, as seen in Fig. 2, which turn up to permit the balls to enter, then fall haelt against a stop, h, which arrests them iu a vertical position, and so as to prevent the possibility ot the ball being returned to the mouth through which it entered.

rlhe rack is t'ree for longitudinal movement in its case, as from the position seen in Fig. 2 to that in broken lines, same figure. In such movement ot' the rack a trip, t', 011 the rack strikes an inclined foot, m, on the bar a and forces it downward, so as to draw the stops d downward and out ot the way of the balls, so that the balls then are free to move to the ex- .treme end of the rack, that extreme end ofthe rack at such time being outside the case, as indicated in broken lines, Fig. 2, the balls heing` readily taken therefrom. While the rack thus stands open for the discharge of the balls the other end is closed by the end of the rack passing the openings l 2 3, through which the ballswere inserted. After the balls have been rco removed the rack is returned into the case, and is then set for a new game.

The rack may be locked in its case, so that only the person in charge can move it. Hence by attending to the rack he knows how many games are played wit-hout other information than that given by the call upon him to remove the balls.

To prevent the change of balls from one bar to another, stops a, like the stopsf, are provided at the discharge end of the rack, which permit the balls to pass out from the pockets at that end, but prevent their being returned.

In order that the rack may be cleared at the end of each game without the necessary attention ot' the person in charge, we apply a :registering apparatus which will make a reeord whenever the rack is moved. This registering apparatus consists of a ratchet-wheel, L, arranged at a convenient point on the case, and a spring-pawl, r, on the rack, which will pass the teeth in the ratchet when it is thrown outward for the removal ot' the balls, but on being returned will engage the teeth on the wheel and return it one point. In connection with this wheel L is a dial, as seen in Fig. 1, or it may be a pointer rotating on a dial, so that-each time the wheel is turned it will be indicated on the dial. A stop-pawl, s, is arranged to prevent the return ofthe wheel.

Any registering apparatus which may be operated by the movement otl the rack may be arranged to record such movement of the rack. The front should be hinged, so that should a mistake occur in the introduction of a ball into the wrong pocket a correction may be made by the person in charge, he simply opening the door and making the correction, then elosing the door and locking it.

le claim- 1. rlhe combination of several bars, A B C, arranged in the form of a rack and in a case, Within which it is made longitudinally movable, corresponding openings in the case i'or the insertion of the balls to the respective pockets or bars ofthe rack, the longitudinal movement of the rack within the case opening the several pockets for the removal ot' the halls, substantially as described.

2. The combination of several bars, A B C, arranged in the form of a rack and in a case, within which it is made longitudinally movable, corresponding openings in the case for the insertion of the balls to the respective pockets or bars of the rack, the longitudinal movement of the rack within the case opening the several pockets for the removal of the balls, and a stop to prevent the return ot' the balls from thc rack to the mouth through which they are inserted, substantially as described.

3. rlhe combination of several bars, A B C, arranged in the form otl a rack and in a case, within which it is made longitudinally movable, corresponding openings in the case for the insertion of the balls to the respective pockets or bars of the rack, the longitudinal movement ofthe rack within the case opening the several pockets lor the removal of the balls, and a stop to arrest the balls on the rack and preventtheir passing to the dischargeopenings, with a trip on the rack to remove the said stop when the rack is moved for the discharge of the balls, substantially as described.

4. The combination of several bars, A B C, arranged in the form ot a rack and in a case, within which it is made longitudinally movable, eorresponding openings in the case for the insertion of the balls to the respective pockets or bars of the rack, the longitudinal movement ofthe rack within the case opening the several pockets for the removal of the balls, and a stop, u, arranged to permit the balls to pass outfrom the pockets when opened, but prevent their return, substantially as described.

5. The combination of several bars, A B C, arranged in the form of a rack and in a case, within which it is made longitudinally movable, corresponding openings in the case for the insertion ot the balls to the respective pockets ,or bars of the rack, the longitudinal movement of therack within the case opening the several pockets for the removal of the balls, and a registering mechanism, substantially such as described, to record each longitndinal movement ot' the rack, substantially as described.

ALFRED S. HENN. GEORGE H. JENNINGS. Witnesses:

JOHN E. EARLE, Jos. (1E/ramt. 

